JJ Spaun’s U.S. Open Win is excellent for a variety of reasons.
Incredibly, despite the weather, conditions, settings and a full range of cruel checks, he completed the Red as a Red.
We looked at some of the behind-the-scenes factors that gave the 34-year-old Californian the upper hand at the 125th Open in the U.S.
1. No sorting board to watch
It always feels like a little bit of mental confusion, but Spaun actually manages to avoid looking at Oakmont’s giant rankings. On the 72nd green putt, he really didn’t know what that was going on.
Finally, he received a great read from playing his partner Viktor Hovland. Entering this week, he didn’t fish over 35 feet of putts — and then he hit a 65-foot player to win the U.S. Open.
“I didn’t look at the scoreboard. I know, I know, I feel like I feel like if I had twice, I might win, but I don’t want to play defense. I don’t know if I have a two-shot lead. I don’t want to make any stupid attempts to protect three.
“We had a good speed and had a good read on the speed. I’m more focused on his (Viktor)’s effort to hit it. I already know the line, but it looks like he’s putting a good blow to it because it started raining there in the last fifteen minutes.
“I just tried to pick my lines and added a nice stroke to it. I knew it would be a little slow. About eight feet, I went up high and saw if it had a chance to get in, just like going in. I was just shocked, incredibly, it came in, and it was over.”
What a putter! ! !
JJ Spaun wins the US Open! pic.twitter.com/ewdyqedazf
– US Open (@usopengolf) June 16, 2025
2. Repeat 2022
Entering the U.S. Open JJ Spaun competed in 235 PGA Tour games and won a championship at the 2022 Valerot Texas Open.
It then came from a bunker shot from Scott Stallings, who failed but still played a role in his first victory.
“It’s ironic that Scott Stallings was in a bunker on the last hole, we were in the same group, the back left bunker, I hit my third shot on the back edge, and I had to mark his ball to get him to hit the bunker.
“When I walked to 18, I was thinking about that moment. I was like, oh my god, like this was here because it was the same thing that happened to me for the first time.”
3. The disadvantages of tigers
This will almost be forgotten given what happened on the 72nd hole, but Spaun’s luck on the second hole was particularly tough when his approach shot hit the pin.
After opening with bogey, he followed another, and there were two more in 4th and 5th. Other days we can write about the player and partly put it down to make it unfortunate.
“We may have 90-100 yards, maybe less. But it’s like a perfect chip sand wedge because it blends directly into the wind and it’s soft.
“What I heard was like a very loud, like a very loud! That wasn’t a good guy. So I was thinking, what the hell is it? What was that? I didn’t even feel like it hit the pin. I had to hit the pin when I saw it stand out from the green at such a speed.
“Then I walked up there and fixed my foot nails from the pin’s foot, and everyone liked it, ‘it hit the pin’. I went to see my stuff when the delay was delayed, which was really not that generous. It was almost a two-shot swing.”
You have to joke!
JJ Spaun got a terrible breakthrough on 2, hitting the flagpole and regressing. pic.twitter.com/EGS9HCZ35L
– US Open (@usopengolf) June 15, 2025
4. A year ago…
This time last year, Spaun missed eight of the first 13 games on the Tour, with a best score of T26. He has lost his card in 2021 and it seems he is going to return to Cohen Ferry again. But he then started playing most weekends, with his top ten finishing the season. Then played the playoffs at Sawgrass, now.
“Last June, it looked like I was going to lose my job, that was my moment, and if it was me going out, I might be swaying too. That’s how my coach told me about my golf shot or my golf swing on the court.
“If there is a challenging shot, he’s like, at least you’re going to shoot. Don’t bail one because you’re going to feel uncomfortable and just swing. You might as well put the swing you want on it and if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work, it doesn’t work. That’s the spell I have in four days a year.”
5. He got up all night
If Spaun finished the tenth, we would never know some of his details. It turns out that he was with a kid, which made him rush to the pharmacy early instead of focusing on the biggest day of his golf life.
“My daughter has a very big stomach problem and vomits all night.
Read more: 2025 Open Champion: When and Where Will the Next Man’s Main Characters Become?
